Chapter 48 The Strangers in the Mountains Just Unloaded...
The moment his guard was down, he was back in full force. Chen Gengnian carefully lay on the earthen wall, and before he could even see what was inside, he felt a gust of wind and a fast-moving arrow.
In his panic, Chen Gengnian quickly turned his head half an inch away so that the arrow didn't pierce his head.
"Come out! There's no need to hide."
Just as Chen Gengnian drew the dagger from his waist, a voice came from within. The voice was powerful and vigorous, completely different from that of an ordinary person.
Just then, the tightly closed courtyard gate was suddenly opened with a bang, and the sound rang out again.
"You must be tired from your journey. I just happened to cook some porridge. Would you mind coming in for a bowl?"
Chen Gengnian gripped the dagger tightly, his eyes cold as he walked step by step toward the courtyard gate.
He wanted to see who was so shameless as to brazenly treat someone else's home as their own.
Chen Gengnian cautiously pushed the door open a little with his dagger, and the entire courtyard was instantly exposed to his eyes.
A man with his back to him continued stirring the porridge in the pot, completely unsuspecting. The courtyard was spotless, unlike the mess he had seen when he came up the mountain; it looked as if someone had always lived there.
"Who exactly are you?" Chen Gengnian walked into the courtyard step by step, holding the dagger in his hand, and squinted to look the other person up and down.
The man's back was tall and broad, and his black robe made him look about the same height as me. Apart from a few faint silver cloud patterns, there were no other decorations on the robe.
Although Chen Gengnian didn't know much about the quality of fabrics, he could tell from the sheen of the material that this outfit was definitely not something an ordinary person could afford.
The man didn't reply. He turned around, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and slowly blew on it.
Judging from his back, Chen Gengnian thought he was at least a middle-aged man, but he was surprised to find that he was a young talent with very handsome features, especially his eyes, which gave him an inexplicable sense of pressure at first glance.
Seeing that he looked much like himself, Chen Gengnian asked in a cold voice, "I suppose this gentleman isn't here to hunt either?"
"Hehehe~" The man put down the soup spoon, straightened his slightly wrinkled sleeves, and then looked up at Chen Gengnian, saying, "Of course not."
All his slow, deliberate movements were laced with arrogance, causing Chen Gengnian to frown repeatedly.
"Would you like a bowl?" The man had barely finished speaking when he teleported right in front of Chen Gengnian, just inches away.
Without a second thought, Chen Gengnian instinctively drew the dagger from his waist and stabbed at the shadow in front of him, but his hand was slapped away by the man's palm as soon as he reached out. Chen Gengnian dodged the attack again, and the man dodged again.
After several rounds of exchanges, both of them intentionally avoided each other and only backed down after sensing that the other party meant no harm.
Chen Gengnian wiped the dust off the dagger, then tucked it back into his waistband, and coldly warned the other man: "I don't care who you are, you can stay here, but you can't take over."
The man covered his nose with a handkerchief and kept backing away to a dust-free area before speaking to Chen Gengnian: "Don't worry, I'll stay for a while. I'll make sure to clean it up for you before I leave."
All the previous roundabout talk was for naught; the identities of both parties became clear in just a few words.
The man was staying here temporarily, while Chen Gengnian went up the mountain to hunt.
The two had no connection whatsoever, but unfortunately, the house belonged to Chen Gengnian.
Knowing that his opponent was skilled in martial arts, Chen Gengnian knew that he couldn't handle him with his own fist and foot techniques. There were many masters in the world, and as long as it didn't harm his family or himself, he felt there was no need to meddle.
Chen Gengnian didn't ask why, but only said to the man, "Make sure to lock the doors and windows when you leave. If you stay here, remember to sprinkle some medicinal powder around the yard."
He pointed to the large white porcelain vase hanging under the eaves.
That was his snake repellent powder, which was quite effective against many wild animals.
The man hummed in response to Chen Gengnian's words and threw something at him before he left.
Chen Gengnian caught it with lightning speed, the force always carrying a strong wind.
Upon closer inspection, what flew over was a silver note worth one hundred taels.
"Rental fee." The man had already ladled a bowl of porridge into his hand and held it up. He rested his chin on the silver note in Chen Gengnian's hand and said, "Consider this room rented to you."
Chen Gengnian didn't want to say much to him, so he simply said "no need" and left the silver notes on the stone by the door.
The man's gaze remained fixed on Chen Gengnian's departing figure. After standing there for a long time, a smile returned to his eyes.
Lin Qingan didn't stay idle at home either. After a simple breakfast, he went into his magic bag.
Ah Meng was still meditating by the spiritual spring. With his jet-black eagle body sitting there, it was hard for Lin Qing'an not to see him.
"What's wrong with you?" Lin Qing'an was at a loss and helplessly scratched his head. "I've apologized, admitted my mistake, and made promises, but you're still not satisfied, so there's nothing I can do."
That being said, Lin Qing'an always felt that his scumbag quotes were indeed just adding to people's frustrations.
But he was truly out of options.
Ah Meng half-opened his eyes, watched Lin Qing'an scratching his head and cheeks, and then closed his eyes again.
There was nothing he could do; since Ah Meng couldn't handle Lin Qing'an, he had no choice but to go and do his own thing.
His first task was to apologize to Ah Meng, and his second task was to sort out all the items inside.
Everything, from food and daily necessities to drinks, was categorized.
After taking stock, Lin Qingan found that the only things he could take to the shop were potato chips, spiced melon seeds, and some spicy strips; the rest were not very suitable to present.
He had plenty of grains and oils, but for no reason he couldn't open a rice shop, let alone an oil shop. People in that era had never seen vegetable oils like rapeseed oil, so he couldn't convert any of them into cash.
And those sugary drinks and beer...
After thinking for a long time, Lin Qingan finally came up with a solution.
It is packaged in a large, airtight ceramic jar and then sold cup by cup using bamboo tubes, filling only the amount needed.
It was summer, and Lin Qing'an planned to supply Coca-Cola and Sprite on a long-term basis. As for beer, Lin Qing'an thought of a place—Jinyun Hotel.
That's right, he wants to supply Jinyun Hotel, and at a hefty price.
This extra income is what allows the shop to achieve financial balance. Even if the shop doesn't earn much, at least there are other sources of income.
But Lin Qing'an knew for sure that this little shop would not lose money.
Looking at the freezer full of meat and the three bears, Lin Qing'an was troubled again.
The bear can be sold in a couple of days, so how should we sell this meat to make money?
Lin Qing'an felt it would be a real waste not to use this inexhaustible cheat.
However, I haven't come up with a solution yet, so I can only put it aside for now and deal with it one step at a time.
After making his decision, Lin Qing'an went to check on A Meng again. Seeing that it was still the same as before, he sighed and dragged a bag of rice out.
Chen Yuetao had just sat down when Lin Qing'an appeared out of nowhere in front of her, which startled her.
Lin Qing'an explained somewhat embarrassedly, "Mother, I was thinking of getting it here to avoid the trouble."
Chen Yuetao didn't really blame him. She got up and went to help him. The two of them put the rice into the rice bin. Chen Yuetao grabbed a handful, rubbed it in her palm, and sighed.
“Sigh! In the past, my brother Nian and I lived a decent life, but we were not so extravagant as to eat rice every meal. Since you came, we not only eat rice every meal, but also have meat every meal, and our lives have become better and better.”
As Chen Yuetao spoke, she became increasingly emotional, and her eyes gradually reddened, as if she were recalling some past events.
Lin Qing'an opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't know how to comfort them. He had vaguely heard that Chen Yuetao and Chen Gengnian had experienced a famine before they came to Linjia Village, but he knew roughly what kind of hardships they had gone through without having to think too much.
After all, only Chen Gengnian and his mother were left.
Just as Lin Qing'an was thinking this, Chen Yuetao's voice, carried on the gentle breeze of March, came through the air, filled with sorrow and regret.
“Ah Qing, actually, our family used to be quite well-off. Even when famine struck, we had enough food to last for a while. But Nian Ge's father couldn't bear to see the misery in the city, so he squeezed out some of our food to give to other disaster victims. At first, the disaster victims were all incredibly grateful to us, but later…”
Chen Yuetao's tears rolled down her cheeks like glistening pearls, and she choked up, unable to speak.
“Mother, let bygones be bygones! Life is better now, and I will never let you suffer from hunger and cold again.” Lin Qing’an kept patting Chen Yuetao’s back to comfort her.
After taking a deep breath, Chen Yuetao gently pressed Lin Qing'an's hand and murmured again.
"Then one night a riot broke out, and refugees flocked in, looting our house. There were so many people that even the guards couldn't hold them off. Overnight, our house was completely gone. My husband, my brother, and I escaped with him, becoming refugees ourselves. Less than half a month later, the emperor was overthrown. The new emperor was ruthless; in order to govern the country, he killed all the refugees who had flooded into the city. My brother's father tried to save my mother and me..."
Chen Yuetao broke down again, her sleeves soaked with sweat. Lin Qing'an knew she wanted to vent, so he could only wait quietly for her to finish.
Despite her heartbreak, Chen Yuetao gradually recovered. After wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she managed a weak smile, which was incredibly heartbreaking to see.
"Later, Nian and I traveled through many cities with the main force and got separated before finally arriving at Linjia Village. Sometimes I think about it and feel both lucky and helpless! Nian is very smart. He has been able to read and write since he was a child. He also learned a lot of martial arts from the guards at home. So he chased away the wild boars and that's how we got a place to stay."
Chen Yuetao suppressed the stinging sensation in her nose and said apologetically to Lin Qing'an, "Qing, I haven't told anyone about these things all these years. I don't know why I suddenly remembered them today, so I hope you won't mind and won't mention them to Brother Nian. After all these years, I guess he's forgotten most of them."
“You’re right, what’s past is past,” Chen Yuetao said, gently rubbing Lin Qing’an’s hand with gratitude in her eyes. “Our family has been doing better and better since you came into our lives. Mother has nothing to worry about and is very content.”
Lin Qingan was quite surprised. He had assumed that Chen Gengnian's family, having experienced famine, was a farming family, but from Chen Yuetao's few words, he could tell that they were definitely not an ordinary family.
No wonder! Lin Qing'an suddenly recalled Chen Gengnian's ability to read. He hadn't paid much attention to it then, but now that he thought about it, it was clear that Chen Gengnian's family background was far from ordinary. It was difficult for children from ordinary families to go to school these days, but Chen Gengnian could already read and write more than ten years ago.
"Forget it," Lin Qing'an thought. "There's no going back now. The most important thing is for them to live their lives well in the present."
On Chen Gengnian's first day up the mountain, Lin Qing'an waited for him to return until dark.
The next day, Lin Qing'an waited another day, but Chen Gengnian still hadn't returned. As it was getting dark, Lin Qing'an couldn't sit still any longer, but Chen Yuetao comforted him.
"Ah Qing, Brother Nian used to go up the mountain for ten days or half a month. Don't wait up, go to sleep early!"
Not wanting Chen Yuetao to worry, Lin Qing'an nodded and went inside.
This time it's completely different. They clearly said it was just a formality, and they should have been back on the first day, or at the very least today, but...
Lin Qing'an looked at the dark outside, feeling extremely anxious.
For the past two days, A Meng has maintained the same attitude, ignoring even Bai Fu. Lin Qing'an had no choice but to bite the bullet and go into the treasure bag again to beg A Meng.
"Good senior brother, please have mercy on me this time! Please help me see what's wrong with Brother Nian, I'm so worried!"
Ah Meng lay half-reclined in the spiritual spring water, his eyes tightly closed, seemingly asleep.
Seeing that it didn't move, Lin Qing'an couldn't care less about anything else. He was determined to find out what was going on today!
Without further ado, he rolled up his trousers and was about to go into the water when Meng's voice drifted over before his feet even touched the surface.
"I can't help you, your telescope is no longer working."
"What?" Lin Qing'an was so shocked that he stumbled, slipped, and fell into the water.
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